The fecal occult blood test is widely used to screen for colon cancer or rectal cancer. Specimens are typically prepared at a hospital from a stool sample collected at home and tested. In qualitative analysis using latex, a specified fecal sampling stick is used because the amount of stool is limited when preparing the specimen, but it is difficult to obtain the proper amount of fecal sample even when using the fecal sampling stick, and in the past, the fecal sampling stick has been wiped with paper or the like to remove the excess stool after the fecal sample has been obtained.
However, stool is dirty and has a powerful odor, and may accidentally adhere to the hands or the like when wiped off with paper or the like. Another problem is that personnel preparing the specimen are often exposed to the foul odor when opening the cap of the specimen container to obtain the sample using the fecal sampling stick. After providing a fecal sample, some subjects such as elderly individuals in particular may attempt to, but do not fully, close the lid of conventional specimen containers, which contain buffer for dissolving the stool, and the containers sometimes leak during transportation.
A fecal sampling container disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application 2-14068 was therefore proposed as a solution to the various problems noted above. This fecal sampling container is characterized in that an elongated container body with a drip portion at the tip is sealed with a lid that has a stick attached to it, a rubber stopper with a hole through which the stick is inserted is secured inside the container body, the space between the lid and container body is sealed with an O-ring, and a Moltopren and a filter are provided in the drip portion, wherein the stick is inserted through the insertion hole of the rubber stopper to wipe off excess stool adhering to the stick. However, drawbacks of this fecal sampling container are: the costs associated with the container are higher because the rubber stopper is expensive and the trouble must be taken to secure the rubber stopper inside the container body; the seal in the drop portion must be perforated with a perforating device when drops of the fecal suspension are to be poured out, which is cumbersome and may soil the hands; and the perforating device must be cleaned every time it is used.
As an effort to overcome the drawbacks of the fecal sampling container in the above Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application 2-14068, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H6-186227 discloses a fecal sampling container composed of a container body containing a fluid, a lid equipped with a fecal sampling stick, and a drip portion, wherein excess fecal sample on the stick can be wiped off by a separation wall provided in the top of the container body, and a thin-walled end surface at the distal end of the drop portion is perforated so that fecal sample dissolved in the liquid can be filtered by a filter provided in the bottom of the container body and quantitatively poured out in the form of drops, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H8-292189 discloses a fecal sampling container composed of a liquid-holding container body that is sealed off by an intermediate member in the form of a thin film, sample collecting means, and a cap member for sealing the bottom of the container body, wherein excess fecal sample on the sample collecting means can be wiped off when the thin film is burst by the sample collection portion of the sample collecting means, and the sealing portion of the nozzle provided on the cap member is removed so that the specimen filtrate can be quantitatively poured out in the form of drops onto an assay chromatograph. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H11-316222 also proposes a feces collection container that has good detection accuracy and reproducibility, without the risk of viral or bacterial contamination.
Although these fecal sampling containers are all suitable for collecting solid stool, they are not suitable for collecting stool in the form of liquid diarrhea, and there is a need for a fecal sampling container that would be suitable for detecting bacteria, particularly in patients who are afflicted with diarrhea as a result of bacterial infection.
Because the tips of the sampling sticks in contact with stool in these fecal sampling containers are exposed, there is also the risk that the operator's hands or the surroundings may become contaminated until the fecal sample is suspended in the suspension after being collected. The fecal sampling stick in contact with stool may also accidentally cause stool to adhere to the outer wall of the container when inserted into the container holding the suspension, and therefore causes more problems, is unsanitary, and poses the risk of viral or bacterial contamination.                Patent Citation 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H6-186227        Patent Citation 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H8-292189        Patent Citation 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H11-316222        Patent Citation 4: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application H2-140468        